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The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Mr Tebogo Letsie, has expressed deep concern over the ongoing student protests at the University of the Witwatersrand, where students have resolved to embark on a hunger strike.
 
The protest stems from what students see as the university’s financial exclusion policy, which requires students to either have a debt of less than R10 000 or be able to pay at least 50% of their outstanding debt to register for the academic year.
 
Mr Letsie said, “It is deeply disturbing and troubling that students in a democratic South Africa feel compelled to resort to such extreme measures to access education. Education is a fundamental right and no student should be forced to endure such hardship to pursue their academic aspirations.”
 
“What makes this situation even more distressing is that the committee recently conducted oversight visits to the post-school education and training sector in the North West and Gauteng provinces to assess readiness for the academic year. To now learn that students are pleading with university management to be allowed to register is heartbreaking, especially when we have consistently advocated that no student should be left behind,” Mr Letsie added.
 
The Chairperson called on the university to engage constructively with the affected students and work towards finding an amicable solution. “We urge the university management to approach this matter with empathy and urgency. The plight of these students underscores the broader challenges of financial exclusion in higher education, which requires collective efforts to address.”
 
The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education is scheduled to meet with the university tomorrow, 19 February, to discuss the institution’s state of governance, administration, teaching and learning. The committee remains hopeful that this engagement will provide clarity on the current situation and contribute to resolving the challenges students face.
 
We remain committed to ensuring that all students have access to quality education and we will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with all stakeholders to address systemic barriers to education, Mr Letsie said.

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Tebogo Letsie